Greyhound races dying

Melbourne – Six lean greyhounds in racing colours sprint wildly around a parched track in sun-baked central Florida.

The grandstand at the Melbourne Greyhound Park can hold 2 000 people, but on this day, there are barely a dozen.

“This is a little anti-climactic,” admits John Niebler, the Melbourne park’s operations director, motioning to the deserted stands.

It is no secret that greyhound racing is a dying pastime in this southeastern state. In the ’90s, Niebler said, a single race could take in $500 000 (R6 million) in bets. Today, that figure might be closer to $15.

The races survive thanks to a 1931 law that legalised betting on dog and horse races.

Under subsequent legislation, passed since the ’80s, all the original dog tracks must continue to offer live racing if they wish to operate other, often more popular, forms of gambling.

“Doesn’t make much sense, does it?” asked Christine Dorchak, president of GREY2K USA Worldwide, which calls itself the world’s largest greyhound protection organisation. Animal advocates consider the races cruel.

“If you’re looking for logic, you’re not going to find it in the racing law.”

The Florida Greyhound Association (FGA), representing kennel operators, has so far managed to defend a law that is loved neither by animal lovers nor by some casinos, which must sustain the costly and controversial races if they want to keep their doors open.

Florida’s law does make sense, however, to kennel operators. Their winning greyhounds earn 4%–5% of overall casino proceeds, even if no one sees them win, said FGA spokesperson Jack Cory.

But Dorchak, a lifetime animal lover who owns a greyhound, said the practice is cruel. “Thousands of dogs are basically being held hostage,” she said.

This week, Florida lawmakers approved a proposed constitutional amendment that, if passed, would phase out greyhound racing by 2020.

It will be put to a referendum in November. The FGA vowed to go to court to block the measure.

Inside the Melbourne casino, clients play poker, try their luck at slot machines or bet on greyhound races. But very few take the trouble to step outside to watch the real dogs tear around the track. –